Knee-jerk reaction by Vic Police

[The MaDDeSTMaN]

After deadly weekend, police seek double demerits
By Andrea Petrie
March 30, 2005

Victoria Police want to look at new ways to reduce road carnage, including double demerit points.

Victorian drivers could lose double demerit points on long weekends as police and the Transport Accident Commission consider ways to reduce the "constant drip of death" on the roads.

Victoria recorded the highest death toll in the country during the Easter period, with eight lives lost. Nationwide, 26 people died between midnight on Thursday and 11.59pm on Monday.

Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner (Traffic) Bob Hastings yesterday expressed disappointment that motorists had ignored his plea for a fatality-free Easter, with speed, alcohol, fatigue and failing to wear seat belts the contributing factors.

Full article available: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/20...862394636.html

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My opinion is summed up by what I chose for the title of this thread. It seems to me to be a knee-jerk reaction to the problem, and is NOT going to help reduce the road toll, only increase it if anything, because people will be more and more fixated on their speedo, rather then what is going on around them.

But I guess it'll help secure more funding for the Police force from all the extra revenue that will be raised as a result of all the extra fines. Idiots.
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[EA2BA]

They dont have double demerit in VIC, I thought they bought in doubles demerit 2 years ago in VIC, well there ya go.

The road toll doesnt actually increase during breaks all that much, they just publicly declare the figures, take any 4 days including a weekend and the toll is not much different.

[neb]

Yeah I thought they already had double demerit points for long weekends, etc. Well at least for christmas/new years?

[Trevor 57]

NSW have had the double demerit points thing happening for a while, it looks like Vic will go down the path as well. I am not surprised. I believe NSW will quote that the road toll has reduced since the introduction.

Mind you, if you don't do anything wrong, the you won't have to worry about double demerit points.

[RG]

I'm just surprised that they didn't decide to double the amount of the fines aswell. That would be logical for them. Fools.

[Kev_BLNXR8_Ute]

The road toll my be up or down every year but how can the just go buy deaths. How about how many cars are on the road or regestered. All they see is we have 5 more deaths but how many more people are ont he road this year 3,000. If it it worked out on a percentage or regerestied veichles I belive it goes down every year.
It is all slick words and bullshit to raise more revenue. 3 kays over is allready shit. People do ten below the speed so they dont go over. tell me how that helps. Then you get road rage and people taking there own action.........

They would be better off making driveing courses compulsory for Learners and P platers. Not saying they are the cause of the problems but it has to start some where. I did a couse 2 days after I got my P's at the age of 18. Not only do you learn alot but its great fun too.....
Touch wood I never had an insurance claim now I'm 27.

[shane3]

26 out of 19 million I don't see a problem with that! More people die due to smoking related issues, drug OD's, and plain stupidity every week, but the government and the cops don't complain about that!

Originally Posted by shane3

More people die due to smoking related issues,

Smoke cameras in homes should fix this. If you smoke to fast you will be done for exceeding the smoke limit...

[zetec]

Originally Posted by The MaDDeSTMaN

Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner (Traffic) Bob Hastings yesterday expressed disappointment that motorists had ignored his plea for a fatality-free Easter, with speed, alcohol, fatigue and failing to wear seat belts the contributing factors.

Can I express disappointment that the government and police have ignored our pleas for a sensible, non-financially motivated response to road carnage? For goodness sake...

[GTP 320]

Definately a knee jerk reaction,i wish they would spend more time chasing criminals.
Cheers John

[Yaw]

One thing I am not understanding here is the logic you some of you guys are stating its about raising revenue??????????????

HOW??????????????
They are doubling the demerit points not the fine.
Seems they are trying to not raise revenue to me.
*shrugs*

[argonEL]

They have had double demerits here in WA for a few years now and IMO it has really not done all that much except slow me down for a few weeks of the year :P

[Smoked]

Originally Posted by RATT

Smoke cameras in homes should fix this. If you smoke to fast you will be done for exceeding the smoke limit...

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That or the EPA will do you for realeasing dangerous fumes.

This DOuble demerit point thing wont go down well. Think about P platers who may have not placed their P's on the windscreen. They already get 3 demerit point, with double that and the new 5 point law, they will lose their licence.

This brings the debate as to weather the plates are really necessary and is losing your licence over it because of double demerit points really fair.

[Bearman]

Double demerit points. Pffftt!!! Does this mean that the heinous crime of doing 63km in a 60km zone is twice as illegal during Easter etc???

What a load of shit. It's had bugger all effect in states that have it.

[Brute33]

More bullshit while sprouting the same old arguments with no solid factual evidence to back it up. No wonder people are so cynical about politicians.
They are full of shit and we all know it , so whats the big suprise . :thebirds:

[Psycho Chicken]

Originally Posted by Chronicle

Mind you, if you don't do anything wrong, the you won't have to worry about double demerit points.

AKA don't do 104 kph on an empty Monash Freeway.

Do we really have to put up with this Bracks ******** for another year? I don't know if I can bear it.

[russellw]

I'd like to see the NSW justification case.

Fact They have still topped 5 of the last 10 double demerit holiday period road tolls.

Fact In a 6 year comparison (the only figures I have at hand) they have actually increased the mean accident rate per 10,000 vehicles across those same periods despite a slight drop in the overall mean figure.

Fact The holiday period road toll nationally is only 3.7 % higher than the rate for any other similar period but we can thank the media attention for that emphasis.

Not worth wasting any more breath.

Until our State Governments get serious about education and infrastructure we will continue to see the crass stupidity that fills both the roads and Houses of various Parliaments.

Russ

[kooky]

Once a gain Russ a direct hit.

[rodderz]

Agreed Russ

I find it similar to the saying "you cant teach a dog new tricks"....

...in that you cant keep letting people getting licenses like they do now then telling them later on that they need to do things differently. It may work to some degree, but the only way to improve the road toll for the present and future generations is to have better education and training in the 1st place while they are still young and dont have road experience

[Full Noise]

Originally Posted by Chronicle

Mind you, if you don't do anything wrong, the you won't have to worry about double demerit points.

Whaaaaat? I’m not sure what type of vehicle you drive, or where you drive but I think this comment is up there with the fairies. When you’re standing on the side of the Hume Highway and some incredibly kind and polite gentleman (not) from the Heavy Vehicle Task Force wants to empty your bank account for you, I’ll remember that line. When the little darlings from the Task Force go out on their escapades to steal from the working class and give to Treasury, they don’t care how many tickets they write out, hey the more the merrier and if those offences carry double demerit points bad luck. You know how it is , your word against theirs, you could always take it to court and prove the megalomaniac that wrote the ticket out was making it up so he can show his boss how efficient he is with law enforcement………………… Good luck.

Cheers, Danny

[b2tf]

My thoughts on this may not go down well with the Victorians among us, nevertheless.

I'm all for double demerit points at Christmas and Easter. Why? because they DO make you slow down, and even if they save only one life, they've proved their worth.
The issue here seems to be more what is considered an offence in Vic, not the punishment. I think if you guys werent getting booked for 3-4kms over the limit, and there was a bit more leway in there, you too would be in favour of double demerits. I can see your point in that a few kms over the limit could result in you losing your licence (or a fair chunk of it at least), but again, if the determining factors in what gets you booked and what doesnt were a little different, i think you would agree it is a good idea.

[Trevor 57]

Originally Posted by Full Noise

Whaaaaat? I’m not sure what type of vehicle you drive, or where you drive but I think this comment is up there with the fairies. When you’re standing on the side of the Hume Highway and some incredibly kind and polite gentleman (not) from the Heavy Vehicle Task Force wants to empty your bank account for you, I’ll remember that line. When the little darlings from the Task Force go out on their escapades to steal from the working class and give to Treasury, they don’t care how many tickets they write out, hey the more the merrier and if those offences carry double demerit points bad luck. You know how it is , your word against theirs, you could always take it to court and prove the megalomaniac that wrote the ticket out was making it up so he can show his boss how efficient he is with law enforcement………………… Good luck.

Cheers, Danny

I am an ex-truckie as well, I drove B-Double for a year back in 2000 and didn't get one fine, do the right thing and you have nothing to worry about.

[Full Noise]

I don’t wish to appear disrespectful, however, a lot has changed in the last five years.

Cheers, Danny

[Trevor 57]

Obeying the law hasn't.

Plus I still drive, and I work as a driver trainer, in fact I travel all ove the State (in the last 5 years) and still haven't managed to get a fine.

[pb02]

Originally Posted by Psycho Chicken

AKA don't do 104 kph on an empty Monash Freeway.

Do we really have to put up with this Bracks ******** for another year? I don't know if I can bear it.

I agree 100%

I got done for 65 in a 60 zone with no traffic around, wide road, no houses or anything nearby just paddocks. :

[LTDHO]

It is both sad and pathetic when this happens.

Instead of doing the right thing that will make our roads safer in the future they revert to the double points. Do they have no idea or what?

Is it possible to send these responses to the politicians who do this??

I don't know anyone who drives different because of the season. Drivers should drive the same through out the year! Not just careful on holidays.

"Easter road toll"
"Christmas road toll"

Give it a name and it needs fixing! What about the rest of the year? It the road toll exceptable then? How many of the deaths during the Easter break was Easter related?

It's ridiculous!!

[paul7v7]

i don't see how double demerit points will do any good for the current problem
as many others have suggested....EDUCATE...TRAIN thats what we need. But in some cases we just have idiots on the road who think they are just it and well they F^&* UP and kill themselves and others. These are the people that i see as more of a worry...the "heros" of the world.

but meh i don't speed so i don't care what they do...

[Trevor 57]

By nature, humans are risk taking animals. This is a good thing otherwise we wouldn't have evolved to where we are today.

Most animals in their teens (or formative time) show higher than normal risk taking behaviour, humans are no different, in fact I would go as far to say that teen humans are many times worse because of their intelligence(?).

No matter how much we try to educate, we cannot train out this natural risk taking behaviour. We can try to reduce it only.